The Sweetest Sand
by CheeseLover13
Summary: A/U: At age 17, Arizona feels lost, humiliated, and alone. Everything she once believed in slowly died, just like the soul within her. Trying to figure out how to cope in such an unfair universe, she encounters a gorgeous brunette that pulls at her heartstrings like quicksand.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: A/U: At age 17, Arizona feels lost, humiliated, and alone. Everything she once believed in slowly died, just like the soul within her. Trying to figure out how to cope in such an unfair universe, she encounters a gorgeous brunette that just may bring back a gleam of sand in it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All belong to the talented Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

**The Sweetest Sand**

**Chapter I: _Breathe_**

Arizona Robbins found herself silently crying on the ground clinging onto a book at her nearby library. She had told her parents to drop her off so she could finish her major History assignment with Teddy Altman, when in reality, they had finished it the week before. But without any other valuable excuses, that's all she'd been able to come up with to get a break.

Arizona needed to _breathe_.

It seemed so long ago since she actually got her chance to take a breath and take all that her life had become in.

To be quite frank, the last time she got to really relax was two years ago when she went out with her brother to a beach that was about two hours away from her home. Her brother suggested she accompany him just in case he decided to drink off his sorrows and needed someone to drive. As stupid and irresponsible as it was, Arizona was all up for it. She knew her brother was suffering through a harsh breakup with his ex-girlfriend Abby, but she also recognized it as an opportunity to go out without her parents, practice some driving (although not under the safest circumstances), and to enjoy the sand.

She _loved _the sand.

Now Arizona couldn't even blink without feeling tension throughout her body. Everything was so out of place and confusing. Her life simply didn't fit her any longer.

How could it?

She was a teenage amputee expecting a _child_.

How the _fuck_ had she gotten here?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a shadow close by which immediately caused her to tense.

"Who's there?"she rasped out, trying to even her breathing."If someone's there, please come out!" she said with a little more strength in her voice.

She hated when people saw her cry; it made her feel weak. But she much rather have someone let themselves be known rather than the feeling of someone watching her.

She had enough staring in her life that could last a lifetime.

"Um, sorry." she heard the shadow speak.

"Could you please come out?" she said, trying to not run off in fear of not being able to see who had been watching her.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." the now revealed brunette said, " Oh, damn it, I said already. Sorry, _again._ I don't mean to intrude, I was just searching for some books about pregnancy and all that stuff for some project I have due in a few days and… you didn't need that information. " the brunette said slightly blushing at the beautiful blonde watching her every move.

"It's fine. I was looking for some maternity information myself." responded the now standing blonde.

Noticing the undeniable pain in the cerulean eyes before her, she couldn't help but wonder what had caused such anguish in the beautiful young woman before her.

"Are you alright?" she asked cautiously, trying not to frighten the blonde any further.

"Um, yeah. Just _peachy_!" responded Arizona trying to hold back the tears at such a simple question.

Many people had come to her and asked if she needed anything or if they could help. But no one actually asked if she was _okay._ At times she wondered if it was because they were scared of what that question could bring, or maybe they didn't want to be the person to ask such a heavy question. Perhaps they simply didn't care enough.

"Um, okay. But do you mind me telling you something?"

"Go for it." responded Arizona, wanting to prolong the first easy conversation she had in months.

" People talk. Where we go to school."

Arizona's eyes widened. She couldn't recognize the gorgeous girl in front of her. Truth be told, noticing new people from school wasn't really on her to do list considering all she already had going on. Either way, it brought a wave of guilt considering this young woman had been kind enough to _at least ask _if she was okay.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I should recognize you, the school isn't that big and you're nice enough to ask if I'm alright and I'm trying to remember you but I just can't and -" Arizona was cut off by the brunette's hand brought up to stop her rambling.

She immediately tensed.

"It's fine, really. Just let me finish, please?" the young woman asked for permission, receiving a steady nod from Arizona.

"Like I was saying, they talk. A lot. So, for the sake of being honest, I think I should tell you that… I know things about you, because people talk." the brunette blurted out.

"Oh, you mean…" Arizona trailed off looking from her leg towards the brunette again, "Terrific." Arizona whispered lowering her head in shame.

" It is, actually, the talk. People really like you over there. They respect you, and they're concerned, and they're interested. They really like you. Some of them _really_ like you. You- You just look upset, and I thought that you should know that sure not _every_ aspect of the talk is _peachy_ as you said yourself, but that _most_ of the talk is good, and when you're not upset, when you're over being upset, there will be people lining up for you." the brunette finished with a smile.  
" You wanna give me some names?" Arizona chuckled in disbelief.

In that moment, the Latina chose to close the distance between the two. Arizona tensed in the blink of an eye, the brunette sensed it but didn't stop. She was determined to bring at least an ounce of confidence back to the stunning blonde, deciding to play it flirty but safe, with a simple kiss on Arizona's left cheek while she grazed her thumb over the now slightly dried tears on Arizona's porcelain face.  
" I think you'll know." responded the brunette while backing away, giving Arizona the best smile she could give and walking away with her book in hand.

Arizona was left shocked. Had that really happened? Had a stunning girl come up to her and left her a kiss that seemed to burn her cheek with such warmth, although she looked like complete shit? Had she really begun to accept that she was pregnant? Had that girl have the most gorgeous eyes she'd ever seen? Had she really gone through another day without dying? Had that clearly Latina just swept her off her feet for just a moment?

Was she really breathing?  
_In and out. In and out. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._

For the first time in forever, she felt the warm sand.

_She could breathe. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: A/U: At age 17, Arizona feels lost, humiliated, and alone. Everything she once believed in slowly died, just like the soul within her. Trying to figure out how to cope in such an unfair universe, she encounters a gorgeous brunette that just may bring back a gleam of sand in it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All belong to the talented Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

**The Sweetest Sand**

**Chapter II: **_**If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all**_

A day later after her encounter with the beautiful Latina, Arizona found herself spending her Saturday trying to block out the noise caused by her parents yelling at each other and concentrated on the book she borrowed from the library, _The Unspoken Pain of Abortion_. Arizona was looking at her options considering she now had a fetus growing inside of her although it _scared the complete shit out of her._ But it was hard to do when all she could hear was her parents debating with _another_screaming match.

Arizona closed her eyes tight trying to transcend into a universe where not everything was falling into pieces. Somewhere where she could read mystery books and truly enjoy it; anywhere different from where she found herself at the moment.

Upon hearing her father yell that he was tired of her mother's shit once again and the slam of the front door, her mother screaming back saying that if he left, he better not come back, Arizona knew it was time to put her book away and wait for it.

Not even five minutes later, her mother stormed into the room and took a seat by her desk.

"What's going on?" asked Arizona neutrally, already knowing what would be said.

_This fucking asshole_, she knew her mother would say.

"This fucking asshole!" her mother all but yelled.

_Nailed it._

"You mean dad?" Arizona bit her lip trying not to roll her eyes at the story she knew was to come.

_Do you know what he did_, would come next from her mother's mouth.

"Your father is a _fucking ungrateful asshole!_" her mother responded, "Do you know what he did?" her mother, also known as Barbara, said in a rush.

"Um, no? What happened?" the younger blonde tried to seem interested.

"He sees I'm trying to rest and yet he _insists _on waking me up to ask if I want something from the market! I'm trying to fucking _rest_, does it look like I want something from the market?!" Barbara yells exasperated, "Does he not see how tired I am and how stressed I am with work, the house, and your condition?" Barbara says in a rush, "It's like he wants to bring up my blood pressure so I can fucking die already! I swear, Arizona, I am going to have a fucking heart attack if things keep up like this! I'm exhausted! Do you hear me? I am fed up with all this shit!" the older blonde says, now standing up.

Arizona could definitely hear her in that aspect, she was tired too.

"Mom, try to take a breath, you're right! He's being a butthole and trying to take over the little time you have to rest. It's messed up." Arizona tried to say seriously. Truthfully, she didn't agree with her mother. She thought her father was just being kind enough to ask in case her mother really needed something from the market. But, she also knew better than to go against her mother's words, it was always better to just agree with whatever she said - at least most of the time.

"Ah, sweetie. You're like my little therapist." her mother said with a slight smile, "I don't need negative energy like your father, right?"

"Nope, mom. You're all independent." the younger blonde said trying to smile.

"Yeah, you're right. I am independent and strong! I don't need him. _We _don't need him, right?" Barbara said while getting up ready to leave her daughter's room.

Arizona simply smiled.

"You'll see, sweetheart, I'll change the locks tomorrow and he won't bother us anymore" her mother said with the door almost completely closed.

"You always say that." whispered Arizona, without noticing it slip out.

"What did you say?" her mother opened the door once again, furrowing her brows.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Nothing! Nothing, I was just thinking about a song and started humming to it." Arizona tried to cover her slip.

"A song? So you were thinking about a song while I was talking to you?!" her mother said raising her tone, "Unbelievable!"

"No! Mom, I _was_ listening to you. I just happened to remember a song I head earlier today when you were _leaving_ my room." Arizona said in a rush trying to explain to her mother.

"Bullshit! You weren't listening! No wonder you smiled like an idiot!" her mother said now yelling on her way out the door.

"No! Mom, I- I'm sorry!" Arizona said, now her shoulders slump.

Damn it, she knew better. She knew better than to let little comments slip out; she always got in trouble for it. How could she let it slip out?

"You're just like you're father!" Barbara yelled, slamming the door.

Arizona closed her eyes trying to ease the tension out her body.

When Arizona opened her eyes again, she also heard her father's footsteps entering the house.

She sighed.

_Here we go again._

_"Where have you been? Leaving in the middle of a discussion! That's the example you're setting for daughter, huh?!" _Arizona heard her mom's voice from the distance.

She closed her eyes again waiting for the front door to be shut once again and for her mother to intrude her room again.

Only now she knew better. She would only answer her mother with quick answers, yes, no, and the occasional nod - it was simpler that way.

Besides, her mother always told her: "_If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."_

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the short chapter! I just want you all to get an idea of some of the struggles Arizona is going through.

Arizona's parents won't stop bickering and she is practically her mother's personal therapist, yet she is not able to really give her input. Barbara seems to have some emotional problems, causing her to lie to herself and making Arizona lie also. … How will Arizona deal with all of this on her plate?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: A/U: At age 17, Arizona feels lost, humiliated, and alone. Everything she once believed in slowly died, just like the soul within her. Trying to figure out how to cope in such an unfair universe, she encounters a gorgeous brunette that just may bring back a gleam of sand in it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All belong to the talented Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

**The Sweetest Sand**

**Chapter III: **_**Pretending**_

Arizona woke up two minutes before her alarm had the time to go off. It had been like this for about a thirteen months now.

She used to absolutely _love _sleep. It was something that comforted her when she was having a bad day or was extremely stressed- it was a way to shut out the world and free herself of whatever was going on.

Now, she found it hard to sleep for more than five hours. She would find herself continuously waking up in the middle of the night feeling anxiety take over her body. Other times, it was the too vivid nightmares that she seemed to get sucked into and would result in her waking up feeling like she hadn't rested at all.

Last night hadn't been any different. She had found herself tossing around at two in the morning and then having periods in which she would fall asleep for twenty minutes only to jolt back up in her bed and feeling her heart want to jump out of her chest.

Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she began mentally preparing herself for what the day would bring.

_Stares._

_"Concerned" people._

_Worried teachers._

_Nausea._

_Too friendly classmates._

_The thoughts._

As she pulled her car into her school's parking lot space, Arizona pulled out her phone and text her only friend, Teddy.

_Are you here yet? - A_

The blonde began was playing with her fingernails when she got a reply from her friend.

_Yeah, wanna meet? -T_

Typing in a quick reply, Arizona made her way out of her vehicle.

_Duh, where are you? -A_

Arizona walked through the hallway towards her locker and took out what she needed for the day.

_At the gym room. - T_

_On my way. -A_

As she walked into the gym and scanned to find Teddy's face, she grunted as she saw who Teddy happened to be with- Brandon.

Arizona didn't particularly have a problem with the senior, she just found him annoying sometimes. Particularly because he kept "stealing" her friend away. She was happy that Teddy's crush was interested in her friend, she just wished that she could have a couple of minutes with Teddy aside from when she accompanied her to the bathroom. She truly wanted Teddy to be happy ,and Brandon put a smile on her friend's face regularly, she just… she wished she wouldn't be pushed to the side so much because of her friend's "little boyfriend".

Arizona decided to join the soon-to-be couple, hoping to maybe participate in on the conversation.

Approaching the pair, the blonde tried to give out the best smile she could muster."Hey, guys."

"Hey, Arizona." Teddy replied to her friend without taking her eyes off Brandon.

"Whoa! You look like shit, you alright?" Brandon said once looking at Arizona's face.

"Geez, thanks. Truly appreciate the compliment!", Arizona chuckled trying not to think about it too much- she knew she looked like shit."I'm alright, I'm just a little tired."

"Ooh, spent the night talking to the lover?" Brandon asked playfully.

"No. Actually, it was the complete opposite." Arizona said slightly uncomfortable at the question.

That was the _last_ thing on her mind right now.

"Well, Brandon and I spent the whole night talking with each other, I feel asleep on him! Right, B?" Teddy added, smiling at Brandon.

"Yeah, Teds. We sure did." Brandon said smiling at Teddy.

"Oh, did Will propose to your aunt already?" Teddy asked her crush.

"Actually, I'm not sure. But if he did, I want you to be my date." Brandon requested.

"Oh my God! I would love to! When is it? I have to get a dress ! We're going to match right? Oh, maybe we should wear blue…" Teddy rambled out to Brandon while Arizona rolled her eyes.

Arizona decided this was her call to leave and head towards her homeroom. She walked while pretending to be reading something from a textbook to avoid the stares people gave her at all times.

Sometimes she wished she wouldn't have to pretend so much.

At lunchtime, Arizona found herself eating a homemade sandwich she wasn't too fond of and thinking about her fertilized egg.

She still had a hard time accepting her pregnancy and thought back to when she found out about the fetus in her uterus.

_Arizona's parents went out for the weekend leaving her alone with her thoughts and self-hatred._

_She wanted to tear everything down and start all over again. She felt as if this life didn't fit her anymore -it was exhausting, embarrassing, and infuriating. Sure, her life always had big loads of stress and over thinking due to her household, but this seemed to be too much to bare._

_At times she contemplated suicide. But she feared of what could go wrong. Arizona wasn't scared of dying, she was scared of doing it wrong._

_What if she drank the wrong pills? What if the cut she did wasn't deep enough? What if, what if, what if…?_

_If she wanted to kill herself she wanted it to be over, not to be found and saved and then have to deal with her parents' passive aggressiveness or having people wanting to make her see that her life isn't as bad as she thinks- that there is so much to live for._

_**Bullshit.**_

_She had gone through way too fucking much to be told all that bullshit._

_Thinking it thoroughly, she decided to give it another month to really come up with a plan for her suicide and not fuck it up like everything else._

_A month… a month wasn't that bad, right?_

_It was short enough to try and bare, but long enough to come up with something._

_Arizona went to her room and found her calendar and decided to start off with her plan. If she was going to do it right, she had to start planning on the dates and what would have to be done to achieve success._

_Flipping through the pages of her calendar, she noticed. The red circles on dates after 29 days would pass._

_Oh, God! How didn't she notice? What the fuck was wrong with her?! Where the hell was her head?_

_It had been a month and a half since she got her last period._

_**Fuck.**_

_Too many thoughts ran through her mind as she drove to the nearest drug store to purchase seven pregnancy tests and rushed back to her house._

_Tears burned her eyes as she waited in her bathroom for those awfully three long minutes to pass and tell her what she feared knowing._

_The timer went off and she closed her eyes tight trying to find the some type of strength within her to will her to open her eyes._

_The automatic snooze went off and another three minutes passed before she dared to open her eyes._

_There it was._

_Two lines on each one of the tests._

_Arizona fell on the floor, hyperventilating and trying to catch her breath._

_**She was pregnant.**_

_It was too much to bare._

_She tried to control herself but it was helpless._

_"Fuck __**you**__, God! This is bullshit! Complete bullshit!" she yelled out to the God she was supposed to trust in, "FUCK __**YOU**__!"_

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Arizona jumped in her seat as she heard the gorgeous brunette from the library.

"Geez! You startled me!" Arizona said playfully, happy to be cut out of her flashback.

"Sorry, I always seem to catch you in private moments, huh?" the brunette commented playfully.

Arizona blushed in embarrassment for having such a beautiful girl catch her in her bad moments for a second time, "You should start introducing yourself and stop surprising me. I hate surprises." Arizona covered.

"I could, but then where would the fun be in that?" the raven haired beauty smirked.

The blonde gave her a quick glare as if her eyes where enough to intimidate.

"I'm Callie by the way." the brunette smiled back at Arizona completely dismissing the blonde's glare.

"Arizona, though I'm sure you already know that considering how people can't seem to shut their mouth at this school." the blonde introduced herself with quite annoyance by not being able to erase all the gossip that ran around the school.

"Yeah, I've been told. What are you named after? The battleship?"

"Actually, I am." Arizona smiled at the brunette.

"That's completely badass! I was named after a muse, not so hardcore, huh?" the brunette shared.

"The muse? As in Calliope?" the blonde asked Callie.

The brunette groaned, "Agh, yes. Don't say my full name, it's an embarrassment to our generation!"

The blonde laughed, "I like it, so don't be so dramatic. It's beautiful, maybe people just don't say it right." Arizona said as a matter-of-fact.

The brunette blushed and silently agreed. She really did like how her name was being pronounced in the blonde's mouth.

It seemed angelic.

"Maybe you're right."

In that moment, the bell decided to ring.

"Oh, crap. I have to go, I got English class now." Arizona said gathering her things.

"Don't worry, I take English class now too. Actually, we've been in the same English class for the past two weeks since I transferred and you have yet to recognize me." Callie commented while gathering her own supplies.

"Are you serious?" Arizona asked slightly embarrassed.

"Deadly."

"Oh, gosh. I suck as a human! I'm so sorry, I just- I don't even know what's going on in my head right now. I'm really, _really_ sorry." Arizona said apologetically.

"It's alright, Arizona. Don't worry. We all have things messing with our heads that cloud out judgment." Callie told the blonde, not meaning to make her feel guilty over something so simple.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," the blonde shrugged.

"Of course I do. I'm always right _and_ I'm pretty damn awesome," Callie said confidently, "Now c'mon, we don't want to be late."

"Yeah… we all hate being late," Arizona whispered, once again thinking of the day she noticed her late menstrual cycle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: A/U: At age 17, Arizona feels lost, humiliated, and alone. Everything she once believed in slowly died, just like the soul within her. Trying to figure out how to cope in such an unfair universe, she encounters a gorgeous brunette that just may bring back a gleam of sand in it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All belong to the talented Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

**The Sweetest Sand**

**Chapter IV: **_**Surprises**_

"Arizona! Sweetie! " Barbara called out for her daughter from the living room.

The younger blonde came back from her room and sat down across her mother and father after hearing her mom call out, "Um, what's up?"

For some reason, Arizona felt as if her parents had suspicions from her. She had a gut feeling that they found out about her pregnancy and she was terrified.

_How could they have found out?__  
__What would they say?_

_Do they want her to have the baby?__  
__Are they going to ask for her to have an abortion?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by her father's voice, "Sweetheart, we have something we need to say. I know you've been going through a lot and it's unfair to put you through this, but we can't keep doing this… Do you understand?"

Arizona shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to clear her throat from the knot that formed there, "I'm not sure… What are you trying to tell me?" she said, too scared to admit her own assumed answer.

"Arizona, dear, your father and I are getting a divorce." Barbara blurted out, as if trying to get the difficult conversation over with, "We want you to know that we still love you and care for you and your well being, okay?"

Arizona said nothing and sat quietly while her mother got agitated, "Damn it, Arizona! Say something!"

"Barbara, calm down! You're not making this any easier on her." her father countered while receiving a scowl from his now to be ex-wife.

Arizona blinked quickly, as if to check if this was real and concluded that it was in fact, as true as could be, "I-I don't know what to say."

"Do you want some time to process?" her father suggested.

Arizona considered it for a moment but quickly decided against it - she had enough things on her mind and she really didn't feel like adding to it, "No! I mean… no. I don't need any more time to process," the young blonde responded a little too quickly.

"Are you sure? We know it's a lot to take in," her father gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Arizona shrugged, "I'm sure. I just have a few questions…"

"Yes, honey?" her parents said in union.

"Who's moving out?" she questioned.

"I will be leaving," her father answered, "I've been searching for a place to stay and actually found a house I really like and will be moving in completely by next week."

"Okay, what about the holidays? What will happen? Do I get to choose who I want to spend it with or are we going to all have some type of get-together?"

"I think you are old enough to decide where you'd like to spend your holidays. Do you agree, Barbara?" her father asked her mother.

Barbara shook her head in disbelief, "Absolutely _not,_ Daniel! She's only seventeen years old! She doesn't know what she wants; she barely knows how to straighten her hair correctly," her mother countered, "I think she should spend the holidays with _me,_ I'm her mother after all," the older blonde added, "Besides, Daniel, if you'd like to join us for the holidays, you're more than welcome, isn't that right, Arizona?"

Arizona felt like a dear in headlights after hearing her mother's question. She usually agreed with whatever her mother wanted to avoid confrontation, but now that she thought about it, spending the holidays with divorced parents was more than she could really handle, "Actually, mom. I think we should just switch holidays between each other and avoid anymore tension. That way, we could get quality time with each other without having to wear fake smiles and uncomfortable silences at the table, you know?, the young blonde tried to reason with her mother, "Besides, when I spend Christmas here, we can go out for dinner." Arizona said trying to convince her mother, her father absolutely _hated _going out on the holidays while her mother couldn't get enough for it.

Barbara pondered and then answered, "I guess I could at least _try_ to get used to that. I really do love the idea of not doing the dishes for Christmas, you know?" Barbara smiled.

"I know, mom," Arizona smiled slightly, "Can I go to my room now? I have a couple of things to get done."

"Sure, sweetie," replied Daniel , quite pleased at how it all went, but still a bit worried by Arizona's reaction, "Go ahead, take as long as you have to."

* * *

As Arizona sat on her bed, she began to think of her parents' divorce.

She wondered if they were truly being serious, after all, they had plenty of fights in which each said they were done but never really went through with it. But they also never really called her in to tell her what was going to happen as a _couple_, she usually found out by one of her parents coming into her room individually- it brought on an odd feeling.

She was also curious of who she would live with. Barbara and most people would think that staying with her mother would be best, but she wasn't so sure about it, especially considering how many untold disagreements she constantly had with her. On the other hand, she loved spending time with her father, he was sweet and honest at all times; being with him didn't come with thinking so much as it did with her mother. Yet, she found it difficult to think about living with him as she contemplated how her being pregnant would evolve in the house of a man and not her mother, who at least knew what she could encounter.

The more she thought about the future and what it held, the more uncertainty began to overwhelm her. She thought about who she could talk to, someone who could try to clear her mind, someone she could be honest with and tell her what was going on, well, at least the divorce part.

Arizona thought about texting Teddy, but immediately brushed it off once she thought of how weird had been between the two. She then thought about Callie. She trusted Callie on a certain level and really liked her, but was she overstepping the easy going friendship they had started by sharing some of her drama?

Arizona got the answer before she could think about it.

_Hey, whatcha up to? -C_

The blonde smiled. It had been a while since someone she considered her friend initiated some type of conversation.

It felt refreshing.

_Hey, just laying in bed. Wanna meet up for pizza? -A_

_I would love to! I'm really hungry. Lol -C_

Arizona rolled her eyes, Callie always had an appetite for pizza and if she was honest with herself, she found it quite adorable.

_Awesome, meet you over at Joe's in 30? -A_

_You got it, Battleship. -C_

As if on cue, her stomach growled, letting her know that she was in fact very hungry. But first, she had to let her parents' know that she had made plans to go out. Usually she would let them know before heading out the door, but after the conversation they had earlier she wanted to make sure it would be okay with them.

* * *

Arizona walked into the living room where her parents seemed to be discussing her as the subject.

"Hey, um, I was wondering if you guys would be okay with me going out to Joe's in say half an hour? " Arizona asked her parents, "I kind of want to take my mind off things…" the young blonde shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"I understand, sweetheart," Daniel agreed, "What about you, Barbara?"

" I guess you could go, just come back before eight and don't mention too much about us." Barbara told her daughter.

Arizona sighed, "Mom, that's kind of why I want to go out."

Daniel decided to help his daughter out, "Barbara, give her a break. Let her free herself for a little while. These past to two years haven't been easy on her either you know."

"I'm quite familiar with the situations that are surrounding us, Daniel." Barbara notified, "I'm very stressed out too, you know. It seems like you keep forgetting."

Arizona sighed and grunted, losing her patience, "Mom! Please, not now. Can I go or not?"

Barbara thought about it for a few seconds and decided, "Fine, go. But you still have to be back before eight." Barbara added.

"Thank you, mom. And dad, of course.", the young blonde said while excusing herself to get ready.

* * *

"Hey!" Callie told the blonde while standing from the seat by their table, "You okay? You look kind of off." the brunette added while realizing the stressed expression on her friend's face.

"I'm alright, I guess. There's just a bit of drama at my house and I wanted to take a break, you know?" Arizona explained.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," the brunette said, "Do you want to talk about it?" Callie asked tentatively, not wanting to cause the blonde to feel too pressured.

"How about after we eat?" Arizona compromised.

"Deal! I'm starving." Callie told the blonde, causing Arizona to roll her eyes at her dramatic personality.

After eating their pizzas and engaging in some small talk, Callie decided to break the ice, "So, you gonna tell me what's got you so worried?"

Arizona sighed. She wasn't sure of how to express herself anymore, and whenever she did, she found it quite difficult to explain herself without saying too much.

"Do I have to?" the blonde asked.

"Arizona, it's not good to keep so many things bottled up. I know you want to maintain your strong persona and appear as if everything is just _peachy_, but you have to understand that there is nothing wrong with sharing what's going on in your head.", Callie told her friend while smiling, "I won't think any less of you. I'd like to think that you could find trust in me by now." the brunette said playfully.

"I do," Arizona said, and she truly meant it . She was just having a hard time gaining the courage, "And I'm not too scared about talking about this with you, after all, our first encounter was you being all charming while I tried to stop crying on the ground." the blonde said half playfully. She sometimes had a hard time accepting that her first meeting with the gorgeous Latina was in the scene of her sobbing.

Callie blushed lightly at the memory, "Hey, it's alright. That doesn't matter, think of it more as me finding you reading and trying to make a move on you and yet not telling you my name." she said playfully earning a chuckle from the blonde, "C'mon, Arizona. You can trust me, what's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

Arizona took a deep breath, and made up her mind, "My parents are getting a divorce…" she said in a shaky voice.

"Oh…" Callie knew the blonde was stressed, but she never really thought through what it could be about. Now that she knew, she didn't really know what to say- her own parents were happily married. She was having difficulty trying to relate and it broke her heart to see Arizona so conflicted.

"Yeah… they told me today." Arizona shared, "But I guess I should've seen it coming thinking on how much they had been fighting and seemed unhappy. But… that's how they always were to me, you know? I never really saw the ideal, happy couple reflected in them. It just- I guess it just took me by surprise." the blonde sighed trying to focus her sight on her drink, avoiding Callie's gaze.

"That's completely understandable, Arizona. But there isn't anything wrong with you being surprised by it all, okay? You said it yourself, the environment between you all was… 'normal', for the lack of a better word. You were used to this behavior in them and didn't see it coming at all.", Callie reasoned with her, "But that doesn't mean you're not allowed to be sad about it. It still means change, and change can be scary sometimes, but you'll be okay, Arizona." the brunette said confidently, "If there is _anything _I've learned about you during these past two weeks of spending time together is that you know how to handle yourself in difficult situations." Callie smiled proudly at her friend.

Arizona sniffled at the words that came out of her friend's mouth. She was absolutely amazing, "I'm not so sure about the last part, Calliope." the blonde said, her voice hoarse by the knot forming in her throat.

"Well, _I_ am sure. And I will be here to remind you of how awesome you are when you seem to forget it yourself." Callie said while smiling at her friend.

"Thank you, Callie. I think you're right," Arizona agreed, "Change _is_ scary."

Callie pulled Arizona into a hug and began to softly rub her back when she felt the blonde stiffen at such close contact, "It's okay, Arizona. I won't hurt you."

Feeling tears threaten to cascade down her cheeks by being treated with such kindness, Arizona hugged Callie back while her body shook with silent sobs.

She let the emotion show, even if just for a moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary: A/U: At age 17, Arizona feels lost, humiliated, and alone. Everything she once believed in slowly died, just like the soul within her. Trying to figure out how to cope in such an unfair universe, she encounters a gorgeous brunette that just may bring back a gleam of sand in it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All belong to the talented Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

**The Sweetest Sand**

**Chapter V: **_**Advice**_

After Arizona allowed her to see part of her pain, Callie felt conflicted. She didn't know what to say or do to help her friend get a bit of the weight off her shoulders. It _pained_ her to see the blonde in so much pain; she knew the blue-eyed beauty had more going on than she would admit, and as much as she didn't want to pressure the blonde, sometimes she just wanted to knock some sense into her; make her see it was okay to be vulnerable and seek out for support.

At times it seemed as if Arizona didn't know how to receive the comfort of having a place to lean on; that made it all harder. She wasn't sure if she should let Arizona handle things on her own and _hope_ for her to come to her if she was needed, although deep inside, Callie just knew that Arizona wouldn't have it in her to seek out; the other part of her was telling her to try and push her friend a little bit; see if she could make the bubble pop already. But the idea of doing that to Arizona felt unsettling, and she really didn't want to scare the blonde away in her already delicate state.

Callie grunted as the thoughts overwhelmed her once again.

_Let it go?_

_Push?_

_Ease off?_

_Insist?_

Her thoughts were interrupted when her mother, Lucia, came through the kitchen door.

"Mija, I got you your favorite ice-cream!", her mother grinned as she walked in further the room.

"Mc Donald's cone?" the younger brunette asked hopefully.

"Yes, Mija. I just told you, your _favorite._" Lucia chuckled and handed the cone over to her youngest daughter.

"I love you, mami!" Callie said in excitement while licking away her ice-cream. She sighed as her thoughts wondered off to the blonde that continued to linger around in her mind.

"What's on your mind, sweetie?" Lucia asked upon noticing the disappointed look on her face.

"Oh! Um, I-I was thinking about Arizona." the younger brunette blushed; it wasn't the first time her mother caught her thinking about the blonde.

"Are you worried she doesn't feel the same as you?"

"No, it's not that. I know we have a connection and it's awesome and all, but…" Callie hesitated, not sure if she wanted to share the information with her mother or tell her and in return, hopefully, get advice.

"But…what? Has she never been with a girl?" Lucia wondered, after all, she didn't want her little girl to get hurt because of someone who was still experimenting in their sexuality.

"She has. We've _mentioned_ it in conversations," and it was true, they talked about it briefly when Callie asked the blonde who Liza was after being told by Alex Karev not to do a "Liza performance" on the blonde and save the school from anymore Arizona drama; she received a short and simple answer, Arizona telling her it was a lover she wasted her time on, and brushing off the name and changing the subject. That seemed like enough proof for Arizona's gay radar. "But that's not what I'm worried about. Arizona is going through some stuff and well…" the brunette trailed off once again in uncertainty.

"Well… what, sweetie? You don't have to tell me what's going on in your friend's life, but I could help you out if you give me a little more information." Lucia tried to reason, while also not wanting pressure her daughter.

"It's just… Arizona seems to be going through some stuff and I'm all for supporting her and helping her, but I don't know how," Callie sighed and took another wipe from her favorite treat, "I've let her know she's got me and I'm always on her side, but it's like it doesn't get through to her. She thanks me and says she knows, but that's it; she doesn't say anything else. It's like she agrees with me but doesn't accept."

Lucia remained silent and tried to analyze the situation a bit more, "Maybe she's not used to receiving such warmth from other people. She probably does agree and is truly thankful, but doesn't know what to do from there on." the older brunette thought out loud.

"I know, mami. I just said that." Callie rolled her eyes at her mother, after wiping off the remains of her ice-cream from the counter, "But what should_ I_ do? Let it go? Insist until she breaks?"

"Maybe you should do a little of both. Don't pressure her into talking to you or explaining herself, but show her that you really are there to support her. Maybe you could talk to her about something that's made an impact in you, that way she can see that vulnerability is on both parts, not just her." Lucia smiled as she finished suggesting methods; she was quite satisfied with the way she learned how to give her child guidance throughout the years.

Callie smiled brightly, "Mom! You are a genius! You're right. I can't be all 'Talk to me, I wanna help' if I haven't opened up myself." the younger raven haired woman got up from her seat and ran to give her mother a hug.

"It's now that you've realized the genius I am?" the older brunette chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get too cocky.", Callie rolled her eyes playfully at her mother, "I'm going to call Arizona and invite her for dinner tonight. Is that okay?"

"Go for it, sweetie. I'm glad to help."

"Awesome!" Callie jumped in excitement and left to call her friend.

Lucia rolled her eyes at her daughter's choice of words, _awesome,_ what did that even mean?

* * *

After receiving the call from Callie and letting her know she was all up for dinner, Arizona felt nervousness take over her senses. It had been a while since she went over to a friend's house and the thought alone made her slightly anxious of how it could go.

She wanted to make a good impression on Callie's family.

But why? They were just friends, right?

Arizona took a deep breath and sighed; she knew it wasn't a "just friends" relationship. Callie and her flirted a lot more than anything else. Sometimes she felt guilty because it wasn't fair to Callie- to either of them.

She didn't want to bring the brunette's hopes up and kill her with the fact that she was a pregnant nutcase, but it was so hard not to. Callie was so amazing and beautiful that a times she couldn't resist reciprocating the feelings and actions that the raven haired beauty initiated. Hell, it took all of her willpower not to jump the brunette's bones every time she would do the cute little smirk that would bring the blonde's to her knees.

But still, it was wrong. And she should stop it before either of them got in too deep.

But how could she?

It was Callie.

_Calliope._

She couldn't say no to her even if she tried.

Shaking her head in attempts to rid her head of stressful thoughts, Arizona went to get ready for her dinner with Callie. Well not really, it was Callie and Callie's family.

Arizona sighed as she entered the shower. They were going to be on a family level and she had yet to be fully honest.

The water hit her back, as if trying to comfort her but it was in vain.

_Too late to stop now._

* * *

Lucia heard the doorbell ring and as she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of a clearly nervous blonde.

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Torres," the blonde said while extending her hand out to who she understood was Callie's mother.

"I am," Lucia said while pulling Arizona into a hug that turned into a brief one after she felt the blonde stiffen. "You must be Arizona."

The young blonde smiled, "I am. Arizona Robbins," she responded nervously.

"Come right in, Callie will be down any minute now." the older Latina invited Arizona and motioned towards the living room.

"Thank you," Arizona thanked Callie's mother when she came back from the kitchen with a glass of water for her.

"No worries, dear," Lucia said politely, "Callie, hurry up!" she called out to the daughter who seemed to forget that _she_ was who invited the blonde over.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Arizona heard Callie yell from upstairs and then come down so fast she thought the brunette would miss a step.

"Hey," Callie told the blonde while leaning in and kissing Arizona's now slightly pink cheek.

"Hi," Arizona smiled back feeling more settled now that Callie was around.

"Girls, dinner's ready!" they heard Lucia call out from her place in the kitchen.

Callie took hold of Arizona's hand and kissed the back of it tenderly. "This way, my lady." she said while guiding Arizona towards the dining room.

Arizona hesitated and didn't move. "I'm nervous." she told Callie.

Callie looked directly at the pained blue eyes she wanted to see shine more often, "You're perfect. Stop worrying, Battleship." she soothed and motioned towards the dining room once again.

"Okay. Lead the way, Calliope."

* * *

Dinner went much well than Arizona anticipated. She didn't feel the need to be someone that she wasn't with Callie's family. There weren't any awkward silences between the family like there had been in her own dinner time with her family. The Torres' seemed to have a comfortable and loving life as a family.

It was heartwarming.

After dinner was done, Callie and Arizona chatted in the living room while Callie's parents went to the kitchen to get the girls some ice-cream.

"Do you mind me getting something from my room?" Callie asked Arizona.

"You're going to leave me alone?" Arizona pouted and Callie smiled brightly at the cuteness.

"I won't take long," Callie insisted, "I want to get my index cards for the presentation I have to give in Religion class next week. You know, Mr. Chase doesn't have a soul and will most definitely give me an "F" if I don't do a perfect job."

"I know how he is, silly," Arizona chuckled, "But why are you doing that now? Can't we spend time together?" the blonde asked hopefully. Though she was also scared of seeming needy.

"Yes, and we will," the brunette insisted, "I…I actually was going to look for the index cards so you could, maybe, hopefully help me?" Callie said nervously.

"Help you… how?" Arizona asked still not understanding what Callie was trying to say.

"I want _you_ to help _me_ to not suck," Callie said brightly, "I am horrible at giving oral presentations because I freak out whenever have to speak in front of large groups of people. And if you are kind enough, you will help me out so I don't end up throwing up in front of the whole class and embarrass myself any further." the brunette smiled hopefully.

"You need _my_ help?" Arizona said while smiling slightly.

"Yes, Arizona," Callie said, a bit annoyed at how the blonde seemed to mock her, " I need your help, so will you stop mocking me and help?"

"Hmm... Yes, I'll be happy to help you." the blonde grinned because it was true. She was happy to help Callie. For once it wasn't about her and her problems. And though an oral presentation wasn't as crazy as her drama, the blonde truly felt like a hero by being able to do something for Callie now.

"Awesome! I'll be back." Callie winked and ran upstairs towards her room.

Arizona laughed at her friend's antics and decided to go help Callie's parents in the kitchen while she waited for the young brunette to come back.

"Mind me helping?" Arizona asked while approaching the sink where the dishes where in.

"Oh, dear. You don't have to do that!" Lucia insisted while approaching the blonde to take the sponge before the blonde would take action.

"I want to." Arizona smiled, "I love the water."

Lucia thought about it, but decided on compromising. "You wash, I'll dry. Deal?"

"Deal!" Arizona smiled brightly and went on with her part of the deal.

Lucia decided to try and know more about the blonde that seemed to have her daughter in the clouds.

"So, Arizona. Do you have any siblings?" Lucia asked.

"Um, I-I…" Arizona began to stutter at the mention of siblings, "Tim." she said finally.

"Tim…?" Callie's mother asked.

"Yep," Arizona responded a bit too quickly.

"Are you two close?"

Arizona tensed at the question and Lucia caught sight of it, "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" the older brunette asked the blonde.

"No, it's fine." Arizona tried to cover her mishap.

Lucia could sense that something was beginning to bother the blonde, "Arizona, you know there's no shame in having a hard time."

Arizona chuckled slightly at the sound of those words, "You sound like Callie."

"Well it's true," Lucia said, "Arizona, you seem unsettled. Is everything alright, dear?" the woman worried.

"I'm great." Arizona said while focusing on rinsing the last cup in the sink while handing it to Callie's mom.

"Okay. But, Arizona, dear," Lucia tried to catch the blonde's attention, "Whatever is going on isn't going to be the end of the world, okay? Whatever it may be, school, or perhaps something at home," she suggested, "It will okay." the older brunette smiled.

Arizona scrunched her eyebrows at what she heard. "What do you mean it will be okay? How do you even know this?" the blonde asked defensively at the feeling of being put out on the spot.

"Well, Callie mentioned that you were going through some things and now you seem uncomfortable, so that pretty much confirmed it." Lucia notified, "But it's not the end of the world, Arizona, okay? Life goes on and the sun still shines." Lucia smiled.

Arizona shook her head in disbelief at what she was hearing.

Callie told her mom about her? She spoke about how weak she had been?

_Oh, god! Is that why Lucia mentioned the "things happening at home"? That was meant to be __**private.**_

She had trusted Callie and allowed her to see her in her weak state, and Callie in return comforted her only to later on go to her mother and tell her all that happened.

_How could she?_

She wondered if Callie also mentioned how they met. Had she told Mrs. Torres that she had been sobbing in a library because of her pathetic life?

The thought of anyone other than her and Callie knowing their first encounter bothered the blonde.

No, it _hurt._

It made her feel embarrassed and ashamed for being so naïve and trusting Callie so easily.

_How had she been so stupid?_

Suddenly it felt hard to breathe and she needed to escape.

"Um, Mrs. Torres, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm going to head home." Arizona's voice shook.

"Are you sure? Just wait for Callie and she can take you home." Lucia suggested. After seeing how the blonde's face had gone slightly pale, she didn't want to risk the blonde's health by making her drive there if she felt ill.

"I wouldn't bother." Arizona said and then ran off to get her bag and leave in a rush.

Lucia was left shocked.

_What just happened?_

* * *

Minutes after Arizona left, Callie came down through the kitchen door with index cards in her arms.

"Is Arizona in here? I can't find her." the younger brunette stated while scanning her eyes across the room, searching for signs of the blonde.

"No, sweetie. She left. She said she felt sick, but I'm not sure." Lucia said nervously at her daughter.

"What do you mean? Is she okay? Why are you not sure?" Callie asked in a rush.

"Callie, everything seemed fine and we were doing the dishes together, but then I asked something and she tensed up. It seemed like she was having a mental battle and I decided to try to sooth her, so I told her that whatever she was going through wouldn't last forever." Lucia explained to her daughter.

Callie couldn't see how that could be a good enough reason for Arizona to flee. "What did she say after that?"

Lucia thought back to the conversation, "She asked me how I knew that she was having a hard time and I told her that you had mentioned it before and I could see it." she told Callie while trying to understand where her daughter would be going with this.

"You told her I told you!?" Callie yelled in disbelief.

"Yes, is there something wrong with that? I didn't give her any details..." Lucia tried to reason.

"Yes, mom! It is wrong!" Callie said with an edge in her voice.

"I'm sorry!"

"I can't believe this is even happening! This was supposed to be a good evening," Callie almost cried, "Why?" she asked while looking up. Why couldn't the universe give Arizona a break. Now the blonde probably thought she was some type of "kiss and tell" type of girl.

How the hell was she supposed to explain herself to Arizona now?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary: A/U: At age 17, Arizona feels lost, humiliated, and alone. Everything she once believed in slowly died, just like the soul within her. Trying to figure out how to cope in such an unfair universe, she encounters a gorgeous brunette that just may bring back a gleam of sand in it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All belong to the talented Shonda Rhimes.**

* * *

**A/N:** Hey, guys! Just wanted to thank you all for reading my work so far and the feedback. I love reading your reviews; they help keep my motivation going, so please, do not shy away from letting me know what you think of my fics! Enjoy! Xoxo

* * *

**The Sweetest Sand**

**Chapter VI:****_Different page, same feeling._**

Arizona sat on the ground in the library, listening to music with her headphones on. The beats helped her cope; she found that searching and focusing on the bass and instruments helped her thoughts wander away. And that was exactly what she was needed.

She had to push her thoughts somewhere else. She didn't want to think about Callie, Tim, or the events running through her head.

But it seemed impossible. She kept thinking about her dear Calliope. Well, Callie wasn't hers, but she _really_ liked her and could see herself falling for her eventually.

She couldn't help but think of Callie's beautiful personality. She thought on how the brunette beauty got people gifts on their birthday even if it was a soda can, because in her mind "People should always receive a gift on their birthday"; how she always congratulated people on their achievements, even if it meant that they had beaten her; and how incredibly loving and supportive she had been with the blonde.

Yet, she couldn't help but have the evening's occurrences cloud her judgment. She trusted Callie with something personal and sensitive and though the brunette had been supportive, she had also told her mother about it.

Deep inside she knew she was probably overreacting. But she couldn't help it. She wasn't used to spilling her guts out to people. She was usually more in control of herself and knew how to keep her mouth shut. But when it came to Callie, she lost her willpower.

She felt like she wanted to tell Callie everything and that scared the shit out of her.

It was terrifying to want to share everything with someone because that implied exposure.

She hated exposure. She hated it because that meant being raw and opened completely. Callie had always told her that showing her true self didn't make her any less; that it made you brave and strong.

Yet, in her experience, it meant nothing but pain, anguish, and hate.

All the things she desperately wanted to end.

"Damn it!", she whispered harshly at her iPod for not helping her escape the speculation in her mind.

Just as she put the device away and looked ahead, she saw her.

_Calliope._

The blonde began to gather her things and stand up, preparing herself for exiting right before she heard that beautiful voice.

"Arizona, wait! Don't go," the brunette now standing in front of her pleaded while gently holding her arm, "Let me explain."

"Let me go, Callie," the blonde responded sharply.

Callie tried to hold back the tears at being treated so differently than she was accustomed to with the blonde, "Arizona,_please_. Hear me out."

"There's no point. Now, let me go!" the blonde responded harshly while pulling her arm away from Callie's grasp and began to walk towards the exit.

Callie ran after her immediately, determined to not let the blonde leave without hearing her out.

"Arizona, wait!" Callie yelled out to her friend only to be told to 'Simmer down' by the librarian.

Arizona walked down the sidewalk and bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to descend down her porcelain skin.

"Battleship! Stop! This is unnecessary and you know it!" Callie told her as she caught up to her, "Don't leave. Please, look at me." the raven haired teen pleaded.

Arizona complied and looked directly into the chocolate orbs, "This was a mistake."

"Don't say that, Arizona. Listen to yourself, you know that's not true," Callie said sadly, she didn't want to believe that Arizona would diminish what they had.

"I shouldn't have trusted you. I-I was naïve a-and stupid. This was a mistake," the blonde insisted, "Now, please let me go." she said brokenly, too pained to fight back.

"Fine. You want to go? Then leave," the brunette responded and harshly let go of her the blonde's arm, "But, Arizona, I never thought of you as naïve and stupid. You're not those things," Callie said sadly causing the blonde's tears to fall.

"This was a mistake," Arizona insisted brokenly. Why wouldn't Callie just give in already?

Callie sighed, "Are you trying to convince me… or you?" she challenged.

"This was a mistake," Arizona responded brokenly and her lips trembled.

"Could you stop saying that?" Callie pleaded while approaching the blonde to hold her hand in her own, "You know that's not true," she said causing Arizona to dart her vision towards their hands, "My mom told me what happened, Arizona," Callie said causing Arizona to hang her head in shame.

Arizona shook her head slightly, "You told her what I was going through, Callie. I _trusted_ you. I let you see my weak side and you went off and told your mother about it, Callie." Arizona's voice was hoarse from the knot in her throat, but she had to show Callie that what she did was not okay.

"Arizona, that is not how it happened," Callie tried to explain, but instead received an eye roll from the blonde, "_It's not._" she insisted.

"I told my mother you were having a hard time," the brunette told her friend.

"So you admit it!" Arizona yelled slightly with watery eyes.

Callie took a deep breath and held Arizona's hand tighter, "Yes, I told my mother you were going through some stuff, Arizona. But I never gave out the details!" she insisted but she could tell the blonde wasn't convinced, "Look, I didn't even plan on it. But… I was having a hard time too, Arizona." Callie said sadly.

Arizona looked into the brown eyes she felt herself getting lost into more times than not. Callie looked sad. She wasn't used to seeing her in this state. It broke her heart.

"What do you mean?" Arizona asked softly while looking into the brunette's eyes.

Callie smiled slightly after seeing Arizona was finally listening to her, "I was having a hard time knowing you were in pain. I-I wanted to make everything better. But, Arizona, I didn't know how," she responded sadly, pleading for the blonde to understand.

"You shouldn't worry so much about me, Callie," Arizona whispered so softly that if Callie hadn't been paying such attention, she would have missed it.

"The thing is, Arizona, I can't help it. I really like you. Like, really, _really_ like you," she said receiving a smile from Arizona.

"I really like you too, Callie," Arizona smiled.

"Well, since you feel the same way, do you understand what I mean? Imagine seeing me in pain and not knowing what to do to help. How would you feel?" the brunette challenged.

Arizona thought about it for a moment and frowned, "Horrible…" she sighed.

"Exactly, Arizona. It felt wrong to know you were struggling and not knowing what to do to fix it or make it better. That's why I talked to my mom. Hell, _she _approached me after seeing me frown all day!" Callie admitted while receiving a guilty look from Arizona, "She came to me and asked me what was going on. I told her you were going through some stuff and I didn't know how to help you aside from showing you how I would be there for you. And you know what her response was?" the brunette said receiving a shake from Arizona's head.

"She told me that I should share something with you that would make me feel shy or vulnerable so you could see that's it's okay to feel that way and that you're not the only one that feels those things." Callie explained.

Arizona took a deep breath and squinted her eyes as she thought back, "Is that why you wanted me to help you with the presentation?"

"Yes," Callie replied embarrassed while closing her eyes slightly as if it could make Arizona not see her in her dorky state, "I know it seems small. But, Arizona, public speaking scares the shit out of me. I once threw up in front of a bunch of kid's veteran parents before I could even get started singing the national anthem," she said and Arizona looked at her with wide yes, trying to contain her smile, "Yes, _that_ bad. That's why I wanted you to help me."

"Well… your mom was right," Arizona sighed and lowered her head in shame, "I actually felt like I was doing something special for you. It made me feel… equal. It was nice not having the spotlight on me for a moment. Well… I kind of got myself back into that position anyway…" she said sadly.

"Hey, it's alright, okay?" the brunette said while lifting Arizona's head by her chin to get her full attention, "You were scared and felt betrayed. I understand," Callie reasoned, "But, Arizona, you have to know that what you share with me stays with me. I would _never_ give out information from your personal life without your consent. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause until Arizona spoke up, "Yes, I understand. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way."

"It's alright. And next time you doubt me, come to me. Don't assume the worse of me."

"I-I don't. I was just. I-I…" the blonde began to defend herself.

"You were looking for a reason to believe that what we have is a mistake." Callie finished for her.

"What?! No! No, not at all. I-I-"

"You were scared.," Callie looked into Arizona's eyes, "Am I right?"

"I guess…" Arizona admitted and fidgeted with her hands.

"And that's okay too. You know why?"

Arizona looked at Callie curiously, "Um…No?"

"It's okay because I'm scared too, Battleship," Callie smiled at the blonde.

"You are?" Arizona smiled slightly, she couldn't believe that Callie felt the same way.

"I am. But you know what's the best part?"

The blonde looked for answers in Callie's eyes.

Callie brushed a strand of hair away from Arizona's face, "We get to be scared together."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't posted anything since last month. I've been crazy busy with school and some personal issues also, so please, forgive me.

Also, I know many of you want to know more about Arizona's pregnancy and I would be curious too at this point-a teenage pregnant lesbian? Yeah, that doesn't add up. But don't worry, you will all find out soon. Be patient with me!

Love and appreciate all you have to say. Your reviews motivate me to continue writing, so don't shy away.

Happy reading!

* * *

**The Sweetest Sand**

**Chapter VII: **_Don't blame me._

"Okay, class. We will be having the first paired assignment of the semester," Mr. Menard told the class receiving a growl from his students but choosing to ignore them, "Fortunately, you have a wonderful English teacher like me that will allow you to choose your own partner and what you will talk about. You will choose something, someone or something, and will express how it made an impact in your life," he continued as he passed out the papers that gave the students the information and instructions that would guide them on knowing what to do in detail, "Now, everybody, choose your partner and come up to my desk and let me know who you have chosen."

Callie turned in her seat so she was facing Arizona and smiled excitedly at her.

"Hey, wanna do this project together?" the brunette asked.

"You read my mind!" Arizona smiled, "I can't believe we get to choose what we want to talk about. He's so uptight most of the time. It's always Shakespeare or Mark Twain. Maybe he finally found someone interested enough to date him," Arizona joked causing the raven beauty to giggle.

"I know, right? It's a miracle he's letting us choose our partners. Imagine if I had been stuck with Leah Murphy?" Callie said with wide eyes to emphasize the disaster it would be.

Arizona laughed, "I would've loved to see how that would work."

"It wouldn't. That girl is crazy. She's too clingy," Callie said, "I once told her I liked her sweater and the next day she brought me breakfast."

"Damn, that's weird," Arizona agreed, "But, hey, maybe she's just a lonely girl. She may just be trying to be nice and earn a friend." the blonde pondered.

"Or… maybe she's too clingy," Callie insisted, "Arizona, she brought me an egg sandwich, a muffin, and three types of orange juice. That's a little too much. Don't you think?"

"Yeah… that is too much. Creepy even," Arizona said and scrunched up her nose causing Callie to giggle.

It was little facial expressions like these that made Callie like the blonde even more. She knew her feelings were a little too strong for the stage they were in, but she couldn't stop it even if she tried. When she loved, she loved hard, and there was no changing that. It was just who she was. And although what she felt for Arizona wasn't love exactly, she did find herself loving things about Arizona, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before her feelings grew stronger. She only hoped Arizona felt the same.

Callie continued to look at the blonde and was mesmerized by her beauty, "You're beautiful," she said and her eyes grew wide as she realized had just slipped from her mouth.

Arizona blushed and smiled back, "Um, thanks. You're beautiful too, Calliope."

The brunette's cheeks turned bright red, "Um, I'm going to tell the teacher we're going to be partners, okay?"

"Yeah, cool." Arizona said.

Once Callie was out of sight, Arizona couldn't help the grin that broke on her face. Callie had called her beautiful. Sure, they always flirted and gave sweet touches, but they never spoke about it too much. So having Callie compliment her in such a sweet tone and looking into those beautiful brown orbs, she knew she was hooked.

The bell rang and Arizona began walking her way to the hallway before Callie caught up to her.

"All done," Callie smiled at the blonde.

"Wow, that was fast."

"Well, all I really had to say was your name and mine," Callie said, "It wasn't really a task," she joked.

"Oh, shush. You know what I mean," said Arizona.

"Yeah, yeah. We know you can be a little slow. But it's alright, I'll still keep you around," the brunette replied.

Arizona feigned offense and punched Callie gently on the shoulder, "Oh, shut up, you dork."

"Um, excuse me. Can I take Arizona away from you for a second?" a tall dirty blonde interrupted.

Callie looked up at the stranger, "Oh… um. Of course…" she squinted her eyes trying to remember the stranger's name.

"Teddy." Arizona finished for Callie, "Callie this is Teddy and Teddy this is Callie," Arizona presented.

"Yeah, I'm Teddy. Also known as Arizona's best friend," Teddy pointed out harshly.

Arizona rolled her eyes, "Teddy…" she warned.

"Okay, I'm, um, I'm going to leave you two alone," Callie said wanting to escape the awkwardness as soon as possible, "I'll be in the cafeteria in case you want to find me later," the brunette notified.

"Um, yeah. I'll meet you there," Arizona replied and focused on Teddy once the brunette was out of sight, "What do you need, Teddy?"

Teddy scoffed, "'What do I need?'" she mocked," What do you _mean_ what do I need? What I need you to do is to start acting like my best friend a-and do projects with me instead of some random girl you just met."

Arizona scoffed, "Are you being serious right now?" she said in disbelief.

"Well, I'm not bluffing now, am I?"

Arizona squared her shoulders and continued, "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot I had a best friend considering how you're never available."

"What?!" Teddy nearly screamed causing the students around them to turn their way and listen to the discussion between them, "That is bullshit and you know it. I've been plenty available! The problem is that you can't stand the idea of being around my boyfriend. You hate the idea of someone other than you having a chance at being happy."

"Oh, _please. _Come up with a better excuse next time," Arizona dared.

"Well, I don't hear you denying it either!"

"Yeah, because you know what I'm saying is true! When was the last time we had an actual conversation without stupid interruptions?" Arizona asked receiving a scoff from the dirty blonde, "Exactly my point."

"That's beyond the point! You're always with the brunette. What's her name? Oh, yeah, that Callie girl. It's the same thing, Arizona, and you know it."

"Forgive me for actually having a friend that looks out for me and is willing to be there for me as I am for her," Arizona spat.

"Oh, so now you blame me for you shutting me out these past months?"

"I never said that! Stop trying to make me look like the bad guy," Arizona said.

"Are you implying that I'm the bad guy? Or did you forget that I was there at the hospital after the accident?" Teddy said wanting to make a point.

"Shut up! You have no right to be speaking about that time in my life!" Arizona fought back, feeling tears burn her eyes as she tried to hold them back.

Teddy paid no attention and continued, "You weren't the only one affected, Arizona! Or did you also forget how I had to deal with your bitterness all the time?" the dirty blonde insisted, "You lashed out at me when the one to blame was your drunk of a brother!" Teddy exclaimed and then felt an intense burn on her cheek.

Arizona looked down at her hand and felt the slight burn on it. She had slapped Teddy.

"Don't you _ever _speak about my brother! You know nothing!" Arizona yelled and ran off towards the bathroom.

* * *

As she entered the restroom she hurried into a stall and emptied the contents of her stomach.

_Stupid pregnancy, _she thought and blamed the fetus inside her.

Arizona walked over to the sink and turned on the cold water and splashed some water on her face. She tried to control her breathing and bowed her head and tried focusing on her shoes as a sob broke out from her mouth.

"Are you okay?" she heard Callie say.

Arizona splashed more water on her face before turning off the water and walking toward the paper towels and took one to wipe off the excess water on her porcelain features.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the blonde insisted.

"Are you sure?" Callie asked, getting a little closer to the blonde and recognizing the puffiness in her blue eyes.

"Positive," Arizona forced a smile, "Weren't you in the cafeteria?" she said trying to change the subject.

Callie snorted, "Yeah, I went there but once I saw the mystery meat I decided to buy food instead only to find that I left my wallet in my locker."

"Oh, okay." Arizona nodded.

"My locker is right next to where you were talking to your friend," she pointed out.

"Oh… so you heard?" Arizona said scrunching up her nose causing Callie to smile at her antics.

"Yeah, I did," Callie replied, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Arizona pondered the idea. Although she wasn't completely comfortable talking about her brother, she wanted to be clear with Callie. She knew how the mention of Tim could set her off like it did when Callie's mother asked her about her siblings and she didn't want it to cause more conflict between her and the beautiful brunette.

"Um, yeah, sure," she gave in, "Can we talk somewhere a bit more private?"

Callie smiled and nodded, "Of course."

As they walked out of the bathroom, various students gawked at Arizona causing the blonde to feel uncomfortable.

"Don't you guys have anywhere else to be!" Callie defended causing everyone to run off.

Arizona giggled, "Thanks, Cal."

"No problem. Is the gym okay with you?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

As they made their way into the gym and sat on the bleachers, Arizona took a shaky breath.

"Hey, you don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, okay?" Callie soothed.

"No, I want to do this. I need to," Arizona insisted receiving an encouraging squeeze on her hand from the brunette.

"Take your time," Callie smiled.

The blonde took a shaky breath and began to speak, "Remember when I ran off after the dinner with your parents?"

Callie slowly nodded her head, not sure of where Arizona was going with this.

"Well, aside from me being a coward, it was because your mom asked me if I had any siblings," Arizona explained.

"You're not a coward, but go on," Callie encouraged.

"Tim, my brother, he was my hero," Arizona explained.

_Was? _Callie thought, _Maybe they aren't on good terms anymore._

"He would take me out to the movies. He'd give me advice on how to flirt with girls. Hell, he was there for me when my mother insisted I was bisexual even after I told her I was a lesbian," Arizona said and shook her head at her mother's ignorance, "Anyway, he was my favorite person on this planet. He was my best friend," she finished and felt a tear fall from her eye.

"Hey, it's alright," Callie soothed and wiped the tear off the blonde's porcelain face and gave the blonde's right thigh a small squeeze for comfort.

"He was a perfect man in my eyes," the blonde said, "But he was also very flawed. But, aren't we all?" she said receiving a nod from the brunette.

"He was flawed but not because he wanted to be. It was because life had taken his happiness away from him. When Tim was seventeen he joined the army and when he was nineteen, he was deployed to Afghanistan. While he was fighting for our country, he met a girl named Quinn and they fell in love. Crazy isn't it? In the middle of a war and you find love." Arizona said shaking her head at the irony.

"A pretty good love story if you ask me," Callie said causing Arizona's smile to falter, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. It's just sad because it was short lived," the blonde sighed, "Quinn died after being shot seven times by the enemy. Tim had a bad time recovering and after seeing that he wasn't stable and was losing to depression, they sent him back home. After a year, Tim met this girl named Abby, they did good together, but eventually Abby broke up with Tim because he couldn't fully commit to her- he felt guilty about being in a relationship with someone else while Quinn had been killed. "

"That's terrible, Arizona. She should have tried to talk him into therapy. Not because of Quinn, but you know, depression. " Callie thought out loud.

"Oh, she did. She tried everything but it just wasn't working out anymore. But I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to be with someone that didn't have their heart in the relationship, you know?" she explained and received a nod from Callie.

"Anyway, after that relationship was over. Tim didn't really speak to anyone except me. I guess he knew I wouldn't judge him or what was happening in his life. Or who knows, maybe it was because he knew I thought he was still Superman even after all that happened," she smiled at the memory, "A few months later, Tim and I went out to a restaurant where he had far too many drinks and was well, drunk. People would look at us like we were crazy, but I didn't care. He was my brother and he had protected me always and I would be damned if I didn't do the same for him," Arizona said and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I told Tim I was tired, but really it was so he wouldn't throw up so much later on at night. I told him to let me drive, but he insisted he drive because he wanted me to rest. I was against the idea, but eventually caved in because his apartment was only fifteen minutes away," Arizona said and took a shaky breath, "Fifteen minutes isn't such a big deal right?"

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to keep going if you don't want to," Callie insisted softly.

Arizona shook her head and continued, "When we reached the second intersection, Tim ignored the red light. I pulled the emergency break ," Arizona closed her eyes tight and felt tears fall, "But it was too late. Even though we stopped before we got too far a car T-boned us and I flew out of the car and T-Tim died on impact," Arizona felt her body tremble as she remembered that horrific night, "I'm sorry, I can't. It's too mu-"

"Hey, no. It's okay. You've said more than you thought you were capable of," Callie soothed Arizona and hugged her, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

As they pulled away, Arizona wiped away the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

"It's just, I-I miss him. He was depressed and he didn't make sense, but I still miss him. And what Teddy said… as much as I hate to say it, she was right. He was a drunk a-"

"No, don't do that. Don't make excuses for her," Callie demanded softly, "He was not a drunk. He was a man that was suffering from depression because of terrible life events. He had nothing to be sorry for. He didn't ask for it, it just happened. Okay?"

Arizona sniffed and nodded, "You're right. I just- I feel bad. I _slapped_ her, Callie. That's not okay. She tried being there for me when the accident happened and I-I pushed her away. I didn't want her pity or the feeling of judgment. You know?"

Callie smiled at Arizona. Even after the fight and the harsh words, the blonde still had such a warm heart, "I understand. And you can talk to her later on and clear everything out," Callie suggested, "But maybe you should let you both have a break and let the steam cool off, don't you think?"

Arizona smiled at her, "Yeah, you're right," she agreed, "Callie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, again," Arizona said.

"No need to worry, Battleship," the brunette shrugged off and soon enough, the bell rang.

"Are you serious?" Arizona grunted, "We didn't even get to eat!"

"I can take you to Joe's later on if you'd like," the brunette suggested.

Arizona grinned, "That sounds perfect. And we can talk about what we'll talk about for the project."

"After we eat, yes." Callie giggled.

"Well, duh, Calliope," Arizona rolled her eyes and walked out from the gym with Callie right by her side as the raven beauty had always been.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII:** _Shame_

"Hey, Cal. What are you still doing here?" Mark asked his friend.

Callie shot up in surprise, she had been sitting on the bench by the Principal's office for over an hour now and as the clock kept ticking, she dozed off.

"Jesus, Mark! You scared the shit out of me!" she yelped in surprise.

Mark chuckled, "What's wrong, Cal? Thinking about the lack of sex in your life at the moment?", he joked, "I don't blame you. It seems pretty sad from here too."

"Oh, shut up, you ass!" she replied, "Just because I'm not interested in sleeping with you anymore doesn't mean I'm not getting any," she shot back.

Mark looked at her skeptically, "Well, are you?" he asked causing Callie to groan.

"No…" she mumbled.

"What's that?" he challenged though he had heard clearly.

"You know what? That's none of your business," she replied annoyed.

"Well, it used to be…" he mumbled under his breath and received a smack in the head from her.

"Well, it's not anymore. Get over it," she growled.

Mark hissed in discomfort and rubbed the back of his head with his hand, "Geez, Cal! What's got you so cranky?"

Callie sighed and rubbed her temples while looking down at her lap, "I'm sorry, okay? -I-I-I'm just tired," she said and looked over at Mark when not receiving a response, "Really. I'm sorry. I really am tired."

"I'm just messing with you, Cal. No hurt feelings," he shrugged and bumped his shoulder with the brunette's causing her to groan.

"I'm so sleepy," she mumbled.

"How come? Don't you usually go to bed around eleven?" he mocked.

"No, you moron," she smiled, "I go to bed at twelve," she mumbled.

Mark raised his eyebrows as if impressed, "Easy there, tiger. Don't want to go too wild too soon."

"Oh, shush!"

Mark laughed, "What time did you go to bed?"

Callie hummed and squinted her eyes in thought, "Hmm, maybe two-thirty?"

The young man's eyes widened in surprise, "You? Callie Torres went to bed at two-thirty? On a Sunday?"

"Yes, you bobble head."

The teen boy looked at her suspiciously, "Well that can only mean three things. One: you were out partying; two: you have jetlag; and three: you were up with someone."

Callie bit the inside of her lip trying to contain her smile but Mark caught on.

"Oh my god! You were up with someone! Who is he? Or is it a she?" he asked excitedly for the details.

Callie sighed at being caught but deep inside she was happy to be able to talk to someone about her love interest, "It's a she…"

"Hmm, is it Sadie?"

"What? No! God, no," she shook her head in disbelief, "But she is a blonde," she added.

"A blonde… " he whispered and concentrated, "Oh, no. Is it the Arizona chick?"

Callie scoffed, "Yes, it is as a matter of fact. And she's Arizona, not 'the Arizona chick'," she corrected.

"Oh, boy," he said and shook his head.

"What?" Callie asked.

"Oh, nothing…" he said as if he had no personal opinion on the matter.

"C'mon, Mark. Tell me. What do you know that I don't?"

Mark sighed and gave in, "All I can say is you should be careful."

Callie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Careful of what?"

Mark looked around as if trying to make sure that there weren't any prying eyes, "Look, from what I've been told, Arizona is a girl that can't make up her mind. She used to date this girl called Liza and I once caught them in a the middle of a fight in the gym room," he explained and Callie listened carefully, "Liza was furious and Arizona looked like a deer caught in lights! Liza kept telling Blondie that she had had enough and she needed to know whether she was fully in or not. I guess Arizona was some type of player cause Liza had mentioned Blondie kissing some girl at a party where she happened to be drunk. Arizona insisted that she hadn't planned it and that she needed Liza to understand where she was coming from because she didn't feel ready for 'that type of life'. To say Liza was mad is an understatement. You should've seen her, Cal!" he said, "Either way, it seems like Liza gave Blondie another chance cause a few weeks later they were acting like a couple but it didn't last long cause Liza left Arizona eventually." he finished but received no response from Callie.

"Look, Cal. I'm not trying to ruin what you have going on," he said soothingly, "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Callie bit her lip nervously. Looking back at how Arizona had acted at her house made her realize that maybe she did have commitment problems. Remembering how the blonde had stormed off and began looking for reasons to ruin what they had make her heart ache. She felt like she had an undeniable connection with the blonde and she couldn't help but feel drawn to her. At times she felt like Arizona would shy into herself and shut her out, but she also recognized that the blonde had shown her a sensitive and precious part of her more than once.

"I know," she said but Mark looked at her skeptically, "I do. I know you mean well, but Arizona isn't the type of person to trust easily and up until now, I feel like she finds certainty in me and I feel the same way about her. I'm not going to end us simply because of her past relationship," she said trying to assure her friend and partially herself of knowing how to protect herself.

"I'm not telling you to. I just happen to know the big heart that you have and want to make sure that hers is just as big for you," he smiled.

"Trust me, it is."

* * *

Embarrassment.

Embarrassment was all Arizona felt right at the moment. Aside from having had the worst fight with her best friend in the school public eye, she had also had to deal with the bullies.

Oh, how well she knew the bullies.

After her talk with Callie in the gym room, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had never been able to admit that she missed her brother to anyone- not even her parents. It was mainly because she didn't know how. After the accident had happened, her father avoided the subject in fear of setting her off, and her mother… well, her mother did what she always did: eliminate it.

Barbara had the habit of deleting things or people from her mind when they caused her trouble. When Barbara's father had passed away, she pleaded against attending the funeral and caved when Daniel insisted on taking the kids. While she stayed at the house busying herself with doing laundry, Daniel and their children were at Grandpop's funeral. Arizona, as the insistent and curious child that she was, questioned her mother repeatedly on not attending the funeral to say bye to Grandpop and on her third time was met with strong push from her mother. It was then that Arizona learned not to insist on getting answers from her mother before causing more harm.

It was because of this that she didn't know how to even mention her brother in the first place, and talking about the accident meant talking about her brother so she had learned to avoid it also.

But now it was too late. She had a fight with her best friend and at the mention of the accident she lost it. And that meant that all the students pulled out their phones and tablets to either snap a picture or record a video and send it out to all possible social medias.

Not even an hour had passed before the whole school knew what had gone down and about two hours before her mother had been called after seeing her daughter slap Teddy across the face on facebook.

And now… now all she felt was shame.

Ashamed for always being the "attention whore", ashamed for how she acted after the car accident, ashamed for being violent, ashamed for hitting her best friend, ashamed for being on the phone screen on so many students as they watched her lose fall over the edge, ashamed for being called into the Principal's office once again, ashamed for having her mother yell at her in front of the Principal and best friend, ashamed for losing her patience, ashamed for keeping so many secrets from her family, friends, and Callie, and mostly, ashamed of who she had become.

Humiliation racked through her body with every breath she took as she walked out of the Principal's office with her mother, Teddy, and Martha, Teddy's mother, behind her. Self-disgust took toll on her all the more when she saw Callie waiting for her on the small bench a few feet away outside the Principal's office.

She hated herself for not being worth being with Callie. A strong, healthy, committed, and loving young girl was what the brunette deserved and it killed her to not meet up to those standards. Yet, whenever she saw the brunette and interacted with her, she couldn't fight against the connection she felt with her.

Teddy went straight out through the door as fast as they reached the hallway and Martha was right behind her. She knew her own mother wasn't happy with her at the moment, but she wasn't going to act like Callie wasn't there either. It wouldn't be fair.

"Um, mom, could you give me a minute?" she asked her mother softly, fearing she'd make a scene.

Barbara took a deep breath but upon seeing the pleading eyes of her daughter, she caved, "Make it quick." she said and received an eager nod from Arizona.

As she approached the brunette, Arizona took a deep breath and calmly sat next to her.

"Hey, Cal," she whispered but received no response, "Callie?" she tried again but still nothing.

She gently brushed the hair that was covering Callie's face because of her position In hunching over and holding her head in her hands as her elbows supported her upper weight. As she gently tucked the strands of hair behind the raven haired teen, she smiled as she saw her in her sleeping state.

She looked beautiful. She couldn't help but brush her thumb around the softness of the brunette's cheek and when she did, Callie jolted up.

"I'm awake!" Callie said loudly to no one in particular.

"Yeah, I can_ totally_ see that," Arizona said and smiled at her.

Callie groaned and tried brushing the sleep from her eyes, "Oh, shush," she said and chuckled but once she saw the sadness in Arizona's face, her features mirrored the blonde's, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Arizona asked and furrowed her eyebrows.

"You… you look sad," Callie pointed out.

Arizona's eyes momentarily widened as she was caught, but she managed to mask her feelings with a grin, "What? No, don't be silly," she insisted, "It's just been… a long day. With the whole Teddy thing, talking about Tim, _and_ having my mom be called… It's been tiring."

Callie didn't fall for it one bit, she could see how Arizona's smile didn't reach her eyes. It saddened her how the blonde would shut herself down so fast in order to keep her emotions in check. But as much as she wanted to comfort her, she recognized that maybe it was better to give her some space. And because of this, she played along.

"Oh, um, yeah. I imagine," she lied, "I just… wanted to make sure everything went well, but I didn't know your mom had been called in too so… I guess I'll leave you so you can be there with her," she said and began getting up to leave when she received a nod from the blonde.

"Wait!" Callie turned around and looked at the blonde who had called out to her.

"Um, yeah?" Callie asked.

"Do you still want to go to Joe's?" Arizona asked.

Once her mother arrived and dealt with the aftermath of Teddy and Arizona's fight, she had been told of all that had caused the nail in the coffin_, the slap: _the mention of the accident. It was because of this and the mention of Tim in her mother's presence that Arizona knew that her mother would probably leave the house for the rest of the night to distract herself from the thoughts of Tim. And if she was honest with herself, she needed a little distraction from all the events of the day herself.

"I don't have a problem, but… is your mom going to be okay with it? I won't be angry if we have to change the plans," Callie reassured but Arizona shook her head.

"No, no change of plans. Let's go to Joe's," the blonde insisted, "Well, I mean, if you want to."

Callie slowly nodded, "Yeah, I don't mind. I just don't want to cause trouble."

Arizona smiled softly, "You won't. Trust me," she promised.

And she was right because later on in the evening, her mother had decided to leave for the rest of the night, leaving Arizona alone now that her father had officially moved out from the house.

* * *

Arizona went in for a shower once she received a text from Callie letting her know that she would pick her up by seven-thirty. She had promised to take her earlier, and she was committing to her word.

As she stepped into the shower, she tried to relax her muscles as much as possible to enjoy the warmth of the water but the tension in the body wouldn't budge. As she felt the stream hydrate her hair, she felt all the distress from the day come at full force. She bit her forefinger, trying to hold in her composure but her lips quivered violently and her finger slipped, causing a sob to escape her lips. She held her abdomen, trying to control the jolts of pain running through her body and was reminded of the life inside of her, causing her to voluntarily let out the sobs and weeps from her body as she slowly descended to the floor.

She cried for what her life had become and for what she knew she was bound to lose later on. She let herself fall apart for once and as painful as it was, she felt heaviness in her chest lighten.

She then turned off the shower and went on with getting ready for her time with Callie. She unusually applied make-up, trying to cover up the signature of what her fallout had left. She even put on a new lipstick. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, she looked good. She looked like the type of girl Callie deserved.

* * *

They tried focusing on talking about the project, but Arizona kept losing focus and because of this, Callie decided it was time to end the school topics. She got up from her seat and went to buy them a large sized pizza, half cheese and half vegetables just like Arizona liked it. She usually enjoyed some meat in hers, but today wasn't about her, it was about Arizona. She knew it wasn't the blonde's intentions, but she wanted for it to be about her friend.

"Humph, I am going to marry this pizza," Arizona said with a mouthful and moaned in pleasure when she felt the splash of flavor in her mouth once she bit on a piece of green pepper.

Hearing Arizona moan made Callie's heartbeat quicken. She had never heard a sexier sound in her life and she needed to burn off the sexual tension that was currently making its presence in her body. Fast.

"Um, do you wanna dance?" Callie suggested in a hoarse voice causing Arizona to smile.

"Well, I don't know… do you wanna build a snowman?" Arizona giggled causing Callie to roll her eyes.

"C'mon, I'm serious. Let's dance it out, release the stress," Callie smirked.

"Hmm, I'm in," Arizona complied and joined Callie on the small dance floor a few feet away from their table.

They danced with all they had and moved in sync with one another.

The way Callie moved her hips made Arizona's mouth water and Callie was having a hard time focusing on Arizona's face instead of the bit of cleavage that showed after Arizona jumped out with the beat causing her shirt to lower slightly.

Maybe dancing wasn't helping with the sexual tension.

Feeling exhaustion overcome her, Arizona settled on lazily wrapping her arms around Callie's neck while the brunette held her by her swaying hips.

"You look beautiful," Callie whispered before she could stop herself.

The blonde blushed, "Oh, thank you. So do you," she smiled.

"Not like you," the brunette admitted. She knew she was playing with fire, but she was ready to make her feeling known, "I look okay, but you look gorgeous. Is that a new lipstick?" she asked and the blonde bit her lower lip, feeling slightly unsettled by receiving compliments, "It looks nice on you. I like it," Callie smiled.

"Thank you," the blonde whispered.

"I like it," the brunette continued, "But you don't need it. I know you're trying to hide, but you don't have to."

"Callie…" Arizona said and shook her head.

"And you certainly don't have to hide yourself either, whatever you're feeling doesn't change anything, Arizona," Callie promised, "You could be crying and still be the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen."

"Calliope…" the blonde said with glassy eyes.

"I mean it, Arizona. I do," the brunette insisted and softly brushed her thumb over the blonde's soft cheek.

"Calliope, I-" Arizona began, but felt the words hang in her throat as she watched a group of teenagers from school enter the small restaurant.

"What, Arizona?" Callie asked softly.

"I-I need to go. Could you take me home?" Arizona said and her voice cracked. She walked over to their table to gather her things and ran outside.

Callie was left stunned. For a minute she couldn't get herself to move. Had that really happened? She put her heart on the line and all Arizona could say was that she needed to go back home?

Bullshit.

She gathered her things from the table and ran after Arizona. If this was the end, she was going to have a word in this too.

"Arizona, wait!" she yelled.

Arizona slowed down her pace once she heard the brunette but didn't stop.

"What the hell was that, Arizona?!" Callie yelled.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked as if it were nothing and stopped to turn towards the brunette.

"Are you serious right now?!"

"What, Callie? What do you need from me?" Arizona answered harshly.

"What I need is for you to cut it out with the bullshit and tell me what the hell is wrong now!" Callie shot back.

"_Now?_ Oh, so that's what you see in me? A girl who just makes up these problems whenever she's put out on the spot? Why, thank you, Callie!" Arizona said sarcastically.

Callie shook her head and felt tears spring in her eyes, "That is not true and you know it," she said and received a head shake from Arizona.

Callie chuckled and Arizona looked at her as if she had two heads.

Why the hell was Callie laughing?

Callie began to laugh hysterically, "This is crazy!"

"What?!" Arizona asked confused.

"This, here," the brunette motioned to the space between them, "Is fucking crazy. You act as if I see you as some type of drama queen when I just poured my heart out to you not even a minute ago!" she yelled and shook her head in disbelief, "And now you're here, ignoring all that I just told you, and making all this bullshit up! Looking for a fight!"

"I'm not trying to make a fight," Arizona shot back, "You know today has been stressful."

Callie nodded and bit her lip, "That's the things, Arizona. It's not just today! You're always trying to put on this act of how fine and _peachy _you are," she yelled, "Well, newsflash, Arizona! I don't believe it! I know you're having a hard time and have a lot of stuff going on. Hell, you've shared some of them with me! But that's all you do. You give me bits and pieces without telling me what's really going on. I can't fully support you if I don't even know what it is you are dealing with. I won't keep being the person that watches you deteriorate. I'm finished_. I am done!_"

"Callie, don't. Please, "Arizona pleaded with tears running down her face but Callie started walking, "Callie, please!"

Callie turned and Arizona saw the tears that had fallen on the beautiful tan skin, "Let's get you in the car and take you home," she said unevenly.

Arizona ran after her and stopped her, "You don't understand," she pleaded.

Callie shook her head, her face was only inches away from the blonde's and with her broken heart, still, all she wanted to do was kiss her.

"I'd ask you to help me understand, but you won't," Callie whispered and took a deep breath, "So, please, let me take you home so this can be over already."

Arizona's eyes fluttered closed for a second before she reopened them and took Callie's hands in her own, "They were here."

Callie looked up at the teary blue eyes and bit her lip, "What?"

"The people, from school. They were here."

Callie furrowed her eyebrows, still not understanding, "Yeah, so?"

"Today, not even an hour passed before the video of Teddy and me was out," she tried to explain, "Those people have tormented me since last year, Callie. I've been tortured by them for so long. They've held everything in their power against me. My brother, my sexuality, my grades, my lack of friends… everything. It wasn't until recently that they've seem to run out of things to throw in my face. They had finally settled down, for the most part, I've been left alone," she said and her voice cracked, "But now… now they have this. They have something new, something I practically gave out to them and they will have no mercy and use it against me as many times as they please. And usually, I can handle it. I can manage having popcorn thrown at me in the movies or being called names when I'm at the Deli, but not in front of you," she admitted and felt a tear slide down her face, "I'm not strong enough."

Callie took in a shaky breath and tried to process all that Arizona had told her, "Why couldn't you say so? I put my heart on the line and you just ran off, how do you think that makes _me_ feel?"

Arizona sniffed and swallowed the lump in her throat, "I-I felt embarrassed. You've already seen me weak so many times and I just… I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Arizona," Callie whispered, "But that doesn't change how you acted. I can't live like this, always fearing that you're going to bail when things get hard."

Arizona sighed, "This isn't me bailing, Callie. These people aren't a one-target type of person. If they see us together… if they see that you are involved with _me_, they would try to hurt you too. And Callie, these things aren't only verbal, they will corner you in small places and get physical. They don't have souls. They're robots," she tried explaining, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just trying to-"

"Protect me," Callie finished for her, " I know, I get it. And Arizona, I really appreciate it. But that should be my choice to make. You can't make these decisions for me."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I was out of line, but I panicked, it's been so long since I've felt that level of stress just by the sight of them," she admitted, "But do you blame me? You're so beautiful, inside and out. I-I can't stop thinking about you and you mean _so much _to me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of me."

"I understand," she said and smiled. She felt the same way.

"Callie?" Arizona asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"You really are beautiful," Arizona smiled and darted her vision towards Callie's flawless features, "Breathtakingly stunning," she whispered and closed the distance between them.

The feeling of Callie's lips against her own made her heart beat so fast she thought it would jump out of her chest. Callie swiped her tongue on her bottom lip, begging for the entrance she happily complied to, making her moan. She pulled the brunette's hips towards her own, needing to feel her as close as possible. But when oxygen became a priority, they pulled away from each other, forehead against forehead. Both still trying to catch their breath.

"Calliope?"

"Yeah, Battleship?"

"I think I got some of my lipstick on you," she giggled.

"Oh, yeah? How does it look?" Callie let out a small laugh and smiled softly.

"It looks better on you."

"Then let's get it on me, and off you," Callie suggested, closing the distance between them once again.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey, guys! I'm so sorry it's taken me two months to update this fic. I had to undergo an emergency operation and was not feeling well. Luckily, I'm feeling a lot better now, and decided to work on this chapter.

I'd like to point out that another reason as to why I've been lacking on updates is because of the lack of comments and reviews I'm receiving, I'm not saying that I won't post anything unless you comment, but it really does motivate me to get it done sooner and to really work hard on it. I'd really enjoy to see that support from you guys. So, please, review! Let me know how this story makes you feel or what you think of it!

Thank you all for all your patience!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX:_ Hope_**

Arizona awoke to the sound of her phone and smiled. She already knew who it was -her Calliope.

It had been this way for the past four days since she and Callie decided to fully date each other. Callie would always be the first person to talk to her and the last. It wasn't in a possessive manner, it was just a show of affection. Callie would send her a message each morning and each night before she went to bed. She was becoming used to and to be honest, the small gesture made her feel like she mattered.

Could that be possible? Could she truly matter in this world?

Arizona didn't know for sure but she knew that it was how she felt. It was how Callie made her feel…alive.

She made her feel worthy of something. Each day the brunette would do or say something that made the blonde feel like she was being acknowledged and appreciated. Sometimes the feeling was so overwhelming that she would begin to tear up.

She wasn't sure if it was the hormones or just pure feeling, but that didn't matter. She mattered and it felt amazing.

Arizona opened her eyes and turned to pick her phone up. When she unlocked it she couldn't help but grin.

**Morning, beautiful!** **-C**

The blonde chuckled at how much joy such a simple text could bring her. She lay back in bed and closed her eyes, thinking back to when these messages started. When it all officially began_ that_ night .

*****_**Flashback***_

_"Then let's get it on me, and off you," Callie suggested, closing the distance between them once again._

_Arizona groaned as Callie's tongue swept on her lips. She eagerly granted access and let their tongues roam. It all felt so right. Everything that was going on in her life seemed to disappear as she connected with the brunette. _

_There was no baby._

_No Tim._

_No Teddy._

_No school._

_No parents._

_No pain._

_Nothing. _

_Only Callie. It felt amazing._

_She felt like she was floating and all she could breathe in was Callie and her taste and smell. _

_Suddenly the brunette began to pull away and the blonde groaned. It was too soon._

_"Whoa! Looks like blondewhore finally found a rebound!" a teenager yelled._

_Arizona closed her eyes tight. She knew this would happen, "Calliope…I'm sorry. This is what I meant. Are you sure you still want in?" she whispered while keeping her eyes closed. She didn't want to see Callie's face when she would give up on her. It would be too much. _

_Callie lifted Arizona's face softly by her chin, "Look at me."_

_Arizona shook her head as she bit her lip. _

_"Ooh! It's the new girl! Run away while you can, Cuba!" another boy yelled._

_"Battleship, please look at me," Callie asked again, hoping that the nickname would catch the blonde's attention. _

_The blonde sucked in a shaky breath at the name and looked up. She opened her mouth, trying to talk but all words caught in her throat as she acknowledged the small crowd of teenagers right by the pizza shop. _

_It was too much. She felt as if there wasn't enough oxygen. _

_Callie caught sight of the blonde's state and tried to bring her back to her. She gently moved her thumb over the young woman's cheek and spoke, "Hey, hey. Stay with me. You're okay. They can't hurt you, I won't let them, okay?"_

_The brunette's voice seemed to fade out of the blonde's mind though, "Oh god, they're back," the blonde whispered as the realization truly hit her._

_Callie held Arizona's head in her hand and moved it so it would focus on her. The blonde's gaze finally met hers and the brunette took the opportunity to shake her out of her daze, "Arizona. Battleship, you're here. You're okay. They can't get to you. I promise. I won't let them. C'mon, breathe with me."_

_Arizona nodded and chuckled through her shallow breaths, "T-they are strong." _

_"We're stronger," Callie promised and pecked her lips, "I promise." _

_Arizona nodded and it seemed as if it were easier to breathe again. She could feel the air in her lungs again. _

_She was okay. _

_"I'm okay." she told the brunette, "I am. I'm okay. We're okay."_

_Callie smiled, "Exactly. They can't hurt us," she assured, "Can you give me a minute?" she asked and the blonde nodded. _

_The brunette detached herself from the blonde and walked towards the crowd. _

_"I'm not Cuban," she stated. _

_One of the boys from the group, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up, "Cuban, Dominican…Same thing in my book. The problem here isn't you. It's blondie over there. Listen you're hot and shouldn't waste your time on her. She's trouble. Ask anyone around here, she can't keep it together. All she's doing is showing you some fake thing. Something you want to see. Trust me, we all thought she was innocent once too but with time you realize what a freak she is. I say save yourself from the mess while you can." _

_Callie nodded and smiled apologetically, "Oh, okay. I get it. You're watching out for me?" she asked softly._

_The teen boy smirked, "Yeah. Something like that. You seem like a cool girl. You're really pretty and shouldn't have to deal with that type of person, you know?" _

_Callie nodded once again, "You should watch out too."_

_The boy chuckled, "For what on earth?" he asked and his groupie laughed along with him._

_Callie stepped closer, barely a foot away from him and right then, lifted her knee forcefully, slamming his crotch with such force that he began to make a wheezing sound, "Watch out for your balls because apparently you've lost them! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Don't feel so tough now, huh?" she said and turned her attention towards the crowd that seemed to be shocked, "Are you sure you want someone like this guy as your leader? What makes you all think he isn't talking shit about all of you behind your backs?" she dared and none responded, "Exactly. Learn to be your own person for Christ's sake!" _

_Arizona couldn't help but let her mouth hang open, no one had ever done that. No one had defended her so fiercely from the bullies. No one seemed to have cared enough._

_Before she knew it, Callie grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the car, "C'mon, let's get out of here." _

_The ride was silent. Arizona only stared out the window as Callie held her hand. Callie could tell that the blonde was trying to process everything that had happened, "Hey, you alright?" she asked and the blonde nodded softly, "Yeah," she whispered and continued to stare ahead._

_Callie sighed, if it were for her she would take all of Arizona's pain away. She'd do it in a heartbeat. It killed her to see the blonde analyze everything. She just couldn't enjoy the moment. She wondered what had made the blonde so closed off and private. _

_Though Arizona had shared some things with her, she knew in her heart that there was more. She could tell that the blonde was hiding something just by looking into her eyes and to be honest, she was dying to know what it was all about. Because maybe after she knew what the blonde was dealing with, she could come up with a way of helping her get through whatever it was she was going through. But she knew she was asking for too much. Arizona had already given her some pieces and she feared that if she pushed too hard, the blonde would completely shut down. _

_Callie decided to park by a deli. She wanted to show the blonde that she wasn't the only one with troubles. She wanted to prove to her that she wasn't alone. _

_Arizona let go of Callie's hand as she realized where they were, "Why did you stop?" she asked in worry. Was Callie kicking her out? Did she realize how much drama came along with being with her? _

_Callie smiled softly and opened her mouth to speak but Arizona cut her off again._

_"Are you kicking me out? At the deli of all places?" she asked in fear._

_Callie shook her head and held Arizona's hand once again, "No, silly. I'm not kicking you out. Geez, calm down!" she chuckled._

_Arizona's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "You're not?"_

_"No, I'm not. If I wanted to kick you out I would at least be decent enough to leave you at your house. Don't you think?"_

_"I don't know…why are we here? I'm confused…" the blonde said as she began to ramble._

_"I used to be fat." Callie stated and Arizona finally quieted down._

_"What?" the blonde asked._

_Callie nodded, "I used to be fat."_

_Arizona chuckled, "Yeah, sure you were," she said until she realized the seriousness in Callie's face. "Wait, you're being serious?" _

_The brunette nodded, "I don't really talk about it but yeah… I'm serious…Deadly. I used to be over two hundred pounds," she stated and the blonde remained silent, "I was never an overweight child until these last two years."_

_"What happened?" Arizona asked quietly. She was getting an insight on who Callie was before she met her and she wanted to know every little bit of the brunette that was stealing her heart._

_"Puberty. My body started changing a little later on than what most girls are used to. But when it began to change, it happened really quickly. My boobs started to grow and my hips got wider. It was scary to me. Every other girl in my school was developing their own bodies also but it wasn't the same. Their curves stayed thin, their breasts didn't grow so big and I felt like a freak. I didn't tell anyone about my insecurities and instead began to eat a lot more. It wasn't like I was eating ten times a day, but I snacked a lot when I felt an insecurity coming on. I ate chips and chocolate like crazy. Before I knew it I was 198 pounds. My mom tried to get me on a diet but I cheated on it so many times that instead of helping, I gained even more. I was up to 210 pounds. It felt satisfying because since I was so obese, I figured no one would want to look at me and recognize how much my body changed."_

_"Um, wow. I never would have thought. You're so beautiful, not that you wouldn't be if you weighed more, you just seem so…confident," Arizona explained, "You seem so invincible."_

_Callie shook her head, "I wasn't and I'm not." _

_"How did you…you know. What caused the change?" the blonde asked. She wasn't sure if she was overstepping but she couldn't help but ask. Most of the time she wanted to be invisible, that usually happened when she wasn't with Callie. Everything was so hard most of the time and she wanted to have the answer. She wanted to know how she could make it all go away._

_"What made me want to lose weight?" Callie broke the silence, "I'm not sure. I think it had to do with wanting to sleep all the time. I felt so out of it that I was losing focus. I knew that it wasn't only my weight gain, but I felt like I didn't have much energy. It made me feel…sad. I felt like I was missing out on the world, you know?" she sighed. Though times were different, talking about that time in her life still stung._

_"Yeah, I know what you mean," she replied sadly. _

_The brunette nodded, "That's when I realized that my insecurities were truly taking a toll on my life. I noticed that I was growing depressed and decided to talk to my mom about it. I opened my mouth and out of nowhere I started crying. Everything just broke apart and I told my mom everything. Luckily she was supportive and helped me talk to my father and sister. I had never seen my dad cry and that day he did. It made me realize that I mattered and that my actions were taking a toll on the people around me too…" she paused and smiled back at the stunned blonde, "That's when I started going to therapy and joined a gym. I began eating better and before I knew it, I was at a healthy weight and felt better too."_

_Arizona stared at her for a minute and smiled. She pulled Callie's face towards hers and kissed her passionately. Once she pulled away, she pecked her once more, "You're so amazing, Calliope."_

_Callie laughed, "What?"_

_Arizona nodded, "You're just…amazing. The way that you saved yourself and now you've come this far…It's amazing," she gushed out loud._

_"I got to where I am because I got help. I had to take the first step but everything else was thanks to the people around me." she replied. She didn't even mean to, but without even trying she was telling Arizona what the first step was - what she had to do to free herself from the pain. She realized that maybe she pushed too hard, "I-I'm sorry. I'm not trying to tell you that you need to-"_

_"I know you didn't mean to but maybe you're right…maybe I have to find it in me to take the first step. I'm just not…ready." _

_Arizona knew it was nearly impossible. She admired how Callie had gotten back on her feet but she knew it couldn't work out that way for her. She didn't have anyone…her family was falling apart, her brother was dead, she had a fetus in her uterus, and her best friend hated her. All she had was Callie, and she didn't want to taint it any more than what she already had. She was tired of screwing everything up._

_"That's alright. What matters is that you are considering it."_

_Callie knew that was a big step already but she wasn't looking to overwhelm the blonde. "Um, I should get you back home."_

_Arizona nodded and readjusted her seatbelt, "Callie?" _

_"Yeah?"_

_"Thanks for tonight and for…everything. No one's done what you have and it means a lot to me. "_

_"Anytime, Battleship," she smiled._

_Just as Arizona got back to an empty house and entered her room, she changed into her sleepwear. She felt a bit uneasy whenever she was alone in the house so she decided to turn on the television to have some background noise. As she settled into the sheets she heard her phone ring._

_Thank you for letting me in, Battleship. -C_

_Just then, she knew she would make it through the lonely night._

_***End of flashback***_

Arizona grinned and decided to reply.

**Hey, gorgeous. How are you? -A**

Ever since that day the pair hadn't been able to stay away from each other. When they weren't together, they continued to stay in contact throughout most of the day through text messages.

Arizona never thought she'd be a clingy person, but she just couldn't get enough of Callie.

Having Callie open up to her about her past made her feel like she had a chance to be an equal. She realized that Callie was perfectly imperfect and had her own baggage. The blonde felt oddly relieved to not be the only one in the relationship with a dark past and if she was being honest, it made her trust in Callie grow. The brunette wasn't holding back on the ugly details. The tables had finally turned and she wasn't the weeping mess. It wasn't that she wanted Callie to have a hard time, but to know that the brunette trusted her made her feel real. She wasn't being treated like she was made of glass, she was a real person in Callie's eyes.

**I'm good. How about you? -C**

Arizona pondered on the question for a moment.

How did she feel?

Though the pain and hollowness was there, she truly felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Callie made her feel what she thought she had lost.

Hope.

**I'm alright. -A**

Arizona took her prosthetic and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. She was so early in on the pregnancy and she already felt like she had to pee every few minutes. The cramps were still there, but they weren't unbearable. Deep inside she knew she had to do something about the whole situation but she didn't have it in her to face what had happened. So instead, she chose ignorance and bliss with Callie.

After brushing her teeth and showering, she wandered around the house to check if anyone was home. Once again, she found herself alone. She considered calling her mother's phone but decided against it- she didn't need to be yelled at so early. Instead, she decided to change and get ready for the day. When she reached her closet, she heard her phone once again and went over to check it.

**Hmm, I hope so. -C**

Arizona couldn't help but smile, Callie cared so much about her. It made her feelings for her settle in all the more.

Just as she was about to respond, another message entered.

**I have something to ask you. -C**

For some unknown reason, panic began to surface in the blonde. What could Callie want to know? Did she find out about something?

She told herself to not get ahead of herself and calm down.

**What's up? -A**

What's up?! That's what she came up with! She shook her head, "Damn it, I need to get it together!" she told herself.

**I didn't want to shock you out nowhere so I decided to send you a text. It's not really all that romantic but I think that this is the only way for me to do this without having some serious case of verbal diarrhea, you know? - C**

**Oh god, I messed up. I'm sorry. -C**

**Let's start again. Can I ask you something? -C**

As she read the messages, she couldn't help but grin.

Here she was, freaking out over a text message while Callie was rambling her life away.

**You're adorable. What is it? - A**

She bit her lip as she waited for the response. They were doing so good. So amazingly good so far…Callie couldn't be changing her mind, right?

Her phone rang and she took in a breath. It was now or never.

**Would you like to go on a date with me? - C**

Arizona grinned. Callie was definitely not changing her mind and neither was she.

**That sounds amazing. **** \- A**

* * *

**A/N: **Hey readers! Hope everyone is doing well. Here is an update for all of you. I'm currently overwhelmed with schoolwork. I'm trying to get everything done as it is my senior year, so forgive me on all my delays.

I'm currently working on updating "Freedom" soon. So just bare with me for a little longer!

As for this story, I am hearing you all. I promise that all your questions will be answered. I have a plan. This story is a very dark one and I don't want to rush into it so soon. But I assure you, the amputation, the pregnancy, the depression - it all has an explanation. Right now it may seem like Arizona is not explaining enough, but here's the thing - all she has talked about has been the easiest things to talk about. She truly has some baggage and it isn't something she's comfortable talking about just yet. Also, right now she's focusing mostly on Callie and their relationship. For the first time in a long time she has something she considers good in her life and she's choosing to focus on only that. She's stretching this happiness for as long as she can.

Remember: ignorance is bliss...?


End file.
